licated but it doesn't have to be." i want to thank all of my guests tonight, and tomorrow night rick springfield will be here. yeah. good n >> jennifer: i'm jennifer grandholm. ing tonight in "the war room," all right, paul ryan let's see what you have got. ♪ >> and fighting out of the blue corner, the delaware destroyer, the pride of our '95, joe biden! and in the other corner paul ryan. [ crickets chirping ] >> the other guy is no push over, but here what he doesn't have. the ability to look american workers straight in the eye and say by god i will fight for your

job with my last breath because i can garnen-darn-tee ya that this guy can. give 'em hell, joe! ♪ >> in the next three months i will not have a job, i'm pretty sure. but for sure by the end of the year we will be completely done. >> they are moving equipment out, and they are letting us know every day, that they are leaving no matter what that they are still sending operation over to china, and that . . . to me they are letting us know we mean nothing to them. we're just nobody. we're nothing. >> my children don't understand that. they are like just go get a job. well there's just not that out

there. >> jennifer: those are just three of the folks that work at the profitable plant in freeport, illinois. that factory has been there for decades, but as you just heard it is about to close, and the 170 people who work there are going to be laid off. the company's owner is moves its operations to china, where it can make even more money producing sensors and controls, but the workers are not giving up. they have created an emcampment across the street from the facility. a constant reminder that lives will be ruined if jobs go to china. both president obama and governor romney has spoken about the threat that china poses to the u.s. manufacturing base. president obama has pushed back

hard to end loopholes to that give breaks to companies that move jobs offshore but mitt romney is running for president on his bain capital business experience, and bain has helped companies maximize profits by outsourcing jobs to low-wage countries like china, which brings us back to the factory. can you guess who controls it? bain capital. of course bain capital no longer man ages bain today. but would it surprise you to learn he owns stock in the company. he had at least enough stock in the company that he was able to transfer more than $200,000 worth of shares so a foundation that he controls. for more on the human cost i'm

joined by freeport illinois mayor. thank you so much for joining us inside "the war room." >> thank you for the opportunity. >> let's just start with us how important are these jobs to the town of freeport? >> we have strides of retention of jobs in free port but when you have 170 jobs leaving our city, it negates everything we have created so hard to create opportunities for people in our community. >> jennifer: how big is freeport? >> 26,000. >> jennifer: so you have spent a lot of time with the workers from the plant, you spent a lot of time with them at their encampment? >> yes.

>> jennifer: it is true they had to train their chinese replacements. >> yes, the current engineers were to train the engineers for china. >> jennifer: obviously that is difficult, but how does it make you kneel a candidate for president stands potentially -- potentially, to benefit from job losses in freeport? >> it's sad situation. i know that the workers would like a pound of flesh from governor romney. i'm taking a little bit different stance on it. i would like governor romney to come to freeport. we would love for him to come explain how he is the mastermind

to send jobs to china, and what his plan is to bring jobs back to communities like freeport. what is he truly going to do? >> jennifer: so here on this show you are extending an invitation publicly to mitt romney to come to freeport so he can see the results of actions of bain capital are bringing to freeport. >> absolutely. three people were arrested for blocking trucks. they are community members that believe in the plant and the employees there. so we want governor romney to see this. and we would like to have president obama come. we are the home of the douglas lincoln debate site, and we would love to have a debate. >> jennifer: i know there are a

lot of people who would love to hear the answers to those questions. i want to play a sound bite to a man who will be losing his job. take a listen. >> it's like these guys have just killed our american dream. it's like, oh well so what if -- this town is decimated? you know. and people go well it's only 170 jobs. but it's 170 jobs and all of the income that comes from these jobs, you know? the tax dollars that come out of these 170 paychecks. >> jennifer: now mayor, are there easy ways for people like tom to transition into local factories that might be hiring? >> there are few opportunities in freeport but tom is in a unique system. his age and education goes against him, but his passion and legacy of hard work are

attributed to him, and there could be opportunities for tom and the rest of the workers. the workers aren't slouches. they don't work on widgets, they work on high-tolerance machinery, they are educated and globally competitive, and they have shown that in the marketplace where there is about a 40% margin on these products already. so you have great people like tom who have some things going against him, but his passion, hard work, and love for the community are one thing that will hopefully help him get through. >> jennifer: mayor the human costs of all of this outsourcing cannot be overstated. i really appreciate you coming on to explain. just a quick postscript by the way to this story. also want to let you know about another company that bain

capital owns and that's asimco. bane purchased that company in michigan about five years ago. and in 2007, the michigan facility was shut down and the jobs were moved to guess where, china. up next, we welcome in another mayor, we're -- crawling with them. michael nutter enters "the war room" to see where republicans are waging a war on cities in america. plus it will be a knockdown braggout bare-knuckle brawl, at least i hope it is. we'll get you good and ready for tomorrow night's veep debate. and details on mitt romney's latest flip flop and why i want

you to hear about it. and why i think you're going to hear about it hopefully tomorrow night. it's wednesday night in "the war room." we'll be right back. outrage that they're doing this, this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>i think that's an understatement, eliot. u>> i'm not prone tot. understatement, so explain to me why that is. i think the mob learned from wall st., not vice versa. [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands? rich, chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate. don't forget about that payroll meeting. rolo.get your smooth on. also in minis.

you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. >> jennifer: four-fifth's of the countries population now lives in urban areas, which is the highest percentage in our history, and yet the gop has essentially declared a war on cities. their own platform says . . .

social engineering. and now the right-wing media is going even further, pushing the idea that the president is trying to take from the rural areas and give to the cities. here is fox news this morning. >> americans don't understand that barack obama is a huge supporter of something called the regional equity movement. and the core goal is to redistribute the wealth of americas to the cities. >> jennifer: that myth has become so pervasive that a romney supporter asked him about it on the campaign trail, and he didn't exactly correct her. >> romney: i'm not looking to take away from cities and towns of any scale. >> jennifer: city versus -- rural versus urban,

constant battle paul ryan argued that what people in urban areas really need is better discipline and stronger character. >> the best thing to help violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity and help people get out of poverty in the inner cities. that's what cherries and civic groups and churches do to help one another realize the value in one another. >> jennifer: of course charities and churches and civil groups are an incredible value. but they are in no position to makeup for his drastic cuts. the urban institute found to make up for the paul ryan cuts every church in the u.s. would have to spend $50,000 a year for the next ten years.

joining me now from philadelphia is its mayor, michael nutter. he is the official spokesman for america's cities during this election year. it's so great to have you inside "the war room." >> governor, thank you so so very much. great honor be with you. >> jennifer: likewise honor to have you on. i'm curious from your respective as a mayor, as the republican party written off cities or as the "new york times" said this weekend, told cities to drop dead? >> it does not appear that either governor romney or representative ryan have any understanding of what it really takes to run a city in the united states of america, and quite frankly regardless of whether or not that mayor happens to be a democrat republican or independent. cities are the incubators of

innovation. they are responsible for about 90% of the gross domestic product of the united states of america. and either of these guys have any idea what it takes to run a city, and in many instances have any idea what they are talking about. >> jennifer: i feel like in some ways cities end up being scapegoated or code language the urban poor the new welfare queens. do you have a sense of that? >> it's clear to me that mitt romney and paul ryan seek to actually create as much divisiveness in this election season as possible. constantly pitting one group against the other, playing people off on each other. that's what the whole 47% discussion that mitt romney was talking about. he was with obviously people he was comfortable with. he was talking the way he probably talks more in private

anyway, and has written off half of the country. yet at the debate starts talking about that people are in pain and people are suffering, and there is poverty in america that he loves teachers. while having laid teachers off while he was governor in massachusetts. he and his running mate literally speak out of both sides of their mouth, have no expectation that a, they'll get called on it or b, if they get called on it they will just keep running their mouths. >> jennifer: i'm sure there are a not of republicans that love cities, but i'm wondering if it is damaging to the democracy to have only one party with a

chance at urban areas. >> the vice president of the u.s. conference of mayors mayor scott smith of mesa arizona, he is a republican. mitt carmet from oklahoma city you talk about other republican mayors who are a part of our organization, to be honest with you, i don't really know the registration affiliation of most of the mayors there because the issues we deal with, public safety picking up the trash, running rec centers, in these tough economic times, really there's no democratic or republican way of picking up the trash. so we have to get things done. most of these folks are running their mouths and talking theory, and we deal in fact and the

reality of unemployment in our cities declining revenues, loss of jobs in the state and local government while our citizens still demand high-quality services. >> jennifer: yeah -- [ overlapping speakers ] >> 80-plus percent -- >> jennifer: right you guys are right at the front line. i would imagine while party affiliation is not as important to you, but republican mayors can be important in congress to try to keep the safety net tact. mitt romney told a story today. listen. >> romney: i was in philadelphia some months ago, and a young woman there was pretty emotional about the fact that she was graduated. she had three part-time jobs, and she said my student loans come due in six months. i have to start paying on them. i adopt begin to have enough to

pay them. what am i going to do? the best thing i can do is immediately get a boost in this economy. >> jennifer: the question is -- this is advice with how to deal with student loans. >> right. >> jennifer: how effectively is that of a sell -- and you have -- and if you can answer kind of shortly, because i want to make sure i hear every word of it. >> i understand. i assume the young woman got no comfort from that response. president obama has increased pell grants by 50%, has put $2.5 billion in historically black colleges cut out the middle person, and now deals direct. mitt romney has no record in these areas, and president obama actually does. this is a woman the student, possibly one of the 47% who the

governor was just criticizing because she is a student may not be paying federal income taxes, but in his own words is working three jobs. he is just phony. >> jennifer: we're talking on the day before the big vice presidential debate. >> yeah. >> jennifer: the president is going to have another chance with mitt romney next week. but you are good friends with the vice president. what is your prediction tomorrow? >> vice president biden knows his facts and figures, but he is also a great debater, and i am told representative ryan is as well. i think we'll have a fact-filled session. i would encourage that they stick to the facts, and paul ryan has to make a decision to refute much of what mitt romney said last week or double down on the miss information? >> jennifer: it is going to be

great. i can't hardly wait to watch. >> get yourself tickets to this one. >> jennifer: all right. mayor, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> jennifer: worries concerns fears, trepidations both sides have ahead of tomorrow's debate. we'll flush them out and confront them right after the break. commentary. >> was this the game changer? is this going to change the dynamic? (vo) the only network with real-time reaction straight from the campaigns and from viewers like you. >> so keep on tweeting and maybe you'll have your voice be part of this democracy and see your tweets up on our screen. >>now that's politically direct.

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>> jennifer: this time tomorrow, america's going to be getting a big dose of vice president joseph robinet biden, jr.

he and respect paul ryan will square off in the first and only vice presidential debate in danville kentucky. yes, uncle joe should bring that touch he used four years ago against sarah palin. >> i don't know where to start. we don't call it redistribution in the places we grow up. i was at a local gas station i said joey how much does it cost to fill your tank? and he said i don't know joe, i never have enough to do it. >> jennifer: only joe biden can talk by name about the guy at the gas station. he has a big task ahead of him, and paul ryan should be armed, i would imagine with a mind full of numbers and so-called facts. ryan has not debated on this big

of a stage before. but he is certainly no novice. joining me with a preview of perhaps the strategy, the expectations for tomorrow's debate is democratic strategy karen skeleton, she was a political strategist for al gore's race and debate against jack kemp and sundheim, who chaired the california republican party during arnold schwarzenegger's governorship. welcome back both of you inside "the war room." >> thank you. first of all, she did a great job in '96. i think that gore really did a great job -- >> jennifer: okay. we're getting right to it. [ laughter ] >> jennifer: karen what are your fears about the debate tomorrow? >> i would say first of all, you know, i hope he doesn't become

condescending >> jennifer: joe biden. >> yeah, because there is such an age gap and experience gap. the model he could look to where dan quayle and lloyd benson went at each other and i thought lloyd benson handled that masterfully. and he overcomp states for the president's performance the other night and somehow loses himself. and loses that person in the clip you just showed. >> jennifer: and how about you duf? >> i think being too wonkish getting too much into the numbers. the issue that paul ryan would take, and mitt romney would take. i was surprised they didn't have that resolved by the time they were running. >> jennifer: i agree with you.

any time you get a new ticket that will be the new problem. >> but the potential gaffes of biden i think is a real concern. >> jennifer: i hope there is an opportunity for him to respond to that. i have a clip of joe biden in 2008 responding to this issue. >> you're very kind suggesting my only achilles heel is my lack of discipline. others talk about my excessive passion. i'm not going change. i have 35 years in public office, i haven't changed in that time. >> jennifer: come on, you have to love that guy. >> we do love him, and we love that he is out there. he provides us with great opportunities. >> jennifer: we do too. karen -- actually i want to play for both of you, a couple of statements that paul ryan has gotten four pinocchios for one

is his convention speech and one that mitt romney has been criticized for. so take a listen to these two sound bites. >> romney: i can't understand how you can cut medicare $716 billion for current recipients of medicare. >> he created a new bipartisan debt commission. they came back with a urgent report. he thanked them sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing. >> jennifer: okay. so karen you have two false statements -- or at least statements that can be exploited on the part of joe biden. one about the $716 billion cut in medicare when of course paul ryan had the same cut, and the other about the simpson boles. how did joe biden lob those attacks at him without

overcompensating. >> look, you have many more misstatements than that, and joe biden needs to go after it aggressively and effectively. joe biden has got to call every fact he sees -- >> jennifer: you think every one? >> just about -- these -- the ticket now on the republican side is -- got a fatal flaw i think. that they don't tell the truth. you don't know what you are getting. you just can't trust in these hard economic times that you know what you are going to get. >> jennifer: duf i want you to respond to how does paul ryan react when he is called on misstatements like that? >> first of all, i fundamentally disagree. i don't think those are misstatements. i think is room for argument about that. but i think he should defend the

statements that have been made. >> jennifer: even though he adopted the same $716 billion in medicare savings, he should -- >> explain it. why did he do that? and why he voted against the boles simpson commission. because of what it did in terms of health care systems. there's a reason he did what he did. they aren't lies. there are reasons they did what they did. i think the problem that biden is going to have and obama was totally unable to do is to defend the last four years. because there is nothing to defend. >> jennifer: go ahead, slug him. i give your permission on the set. [ laughter ] >> jennifer: it will be interesting to see whether obama overcompensates. >> yes, that is a potential changer. you have abortion, insurance coverage, preexisting coverage

tax cuts. you have got any number of issues. let them explain it. >> jennifer: all right. guys i'm so sorry, this is way too short. but i really appreciate you coming in. remember, by the way you can watch the debate tomorrow on current tv, our coverage begins at 8:00 eastern, 5:00 pacific bile in new york with eliot spitzer, john fugelsang, cenk uygur, and we of course are going to be enjoying it all. and we'll have our innovative twitter coverage on your screen. after the break there is one guy that loves mitt romney's flip flops more than most and that's the guy that sells them to it. i'll tell you about mitt romney's latest duel to the truth.

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>> jennifer: mitt romney has waded back into one of the most controversial issues of this campaign, the attack on women's reproductive rights. and he did one of his triple-gainer-back hand string flip flops on the issue yet again. he told the des moines register's editorial board that, quote . . . but of course that statement contradicts other things he has said. even on his own campaign website says . . . now romney has always said that he would appoint supreme court justices who would hopefully overturn roe v. wade. in 2007 he said he would be

delighted to sign a bill banning abortion. not exactly what he told the des moines register yesterday. but then today he reversed positions again, saying that even though yesterday he pledged not to push a pro-life agenda that, quote, . . . 1002. two flips in two days. that's a pretty good performance even for the worlds flip flop record holder. joining me now is christine pelosi, chair of the california democratic party women's caucus. are you dizzy? >> very dizzy.

>> jennifer: your head is spinning, how is that? because of all of that. >> it is dizzying to see mitt romney do that. the republican party wants a supreme court that will overturn roe v. wade and further cement citizens united in our culture. they want to take away the voices of women and enfranchise voices of corporations. and they must be stopped. >> jennifer: last night your mom was on the show and i'm going to play a sound bite. >> i would say one word to the biden people. women. whether it's talking about affordable health care lilly ledbetter -- >> jennifer: she is getting to the point that paul ryan has a very anti-woman history.

how can biden go after that in the debate in a way that is acceptable to viewers? i'll just they. >> what joe biden needs to do is talk about his own record where men and women are equal, whether they get paid the same for an equal day's work where he talks about protecting women who are victims of violent crimes and that paul ryan has voted against. talk about how every woman has the right to feel safe and secure in her community unlike paul ryan who voted against those laws to protect lesbian

or immigrants to this country. we don't want any man telling us how we should vote or think, but we do want every man or woman running for office to say this is what i have done to empower women economically and personally. >> jennifer: if they play this todd akin card claire mccaskill has been running some ads. here is one. >> i'm a republican single mother and rape survivor. i was offered contraception in the hospital but because of my beliefs i declined. i have never voted for claire mccaskill, but because of todd

akin i will now. >> they are already tied themselves to todd akin and the democrats need to point that out. for many years they have said there is violent crime out there. and now they are saying even if you are raped by the terrorist, you have to have that terrorist baby. and women are rejecting that choice and saying that is my choice, and no one should get between a woman and her doctor in making that decision. that's where democrats need to point out the fallsy and say if you want the freedom to make your own choices, as a woman speaking in missouri you must vote for a democrat, because a republican will simply not let you have that choice. >> jennifer: exactly right. christine you completely on the money amplifying what your mom was saying last night. christine pelosi. coming up probably not the face

you would think about when thinking about affirmative action, but abigail fisher's case should change the affirmative action la. ...but i'm a woman. maybe it's a misprint. does it look like a misprint? ok. what i was trying... [ voice of dennis ] silence. ♪ ♪ ask an allstate agent about the safe driving bonus check. are you in good hands?

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i was taught from the time i was a little girl that any kind of discrimination was wrong. and foran institution of higher learning to about this way, makes no sense to me. what kind of example does this set for others? >> jennifer: that's abigail fisher the woman at the center of the first affirmative action case to go before the speak in nearly a decade. because she was not in the top 10% of her graduating class, and therefore not automatically enrolled in the texas education center she was therefore considered under a different

area an area that considers race. so the concern is that affirmative action is in danger of distinction. coming to us via skype is sacks, the supreme court correspondent for the "huffington post." welcome back inside "the war room." >> thank for having me, jennifer. >> jennifer: you have get. you actually got to be inside the court during the arguments today on this affirmative action case. describe the mood inside the courtroom. >> i think everyone there new the affirmative action action in texas was on the chopping block. justice o'connor scrolls in and sits down directly at me and i

could swear i saw her stair up at the other justice. >> jennifer: obviously it has been nearly a decade since we heard from the supreme court when she actually made the decision. so you figure that as a result of accepting this case and the questions that were there today, you have a good prediction my guess about where the court is going to rule? >> i think you can account on aleah, roberts scalia and thomas to go whole hog. but in theory kennedy approved affirmative action as a last resort, and he has never seen affirmative action policy in

action that he has approved up. >> jennifer: about the supreme court ruled in the case ten years ago, how did the other universities respond? >> the other universities reinstituted race-conscious admission measures. it allowed for race in a very limited role in a holistic individualized effort to reach a critical mass among the student body. so university of texas which had been banned from using race now was freed up to supplement the admissions policy that they had in place after 1996. it was called the top 10% rule. and that mandated that everyone in every high school senior in texas who graduated in the top 10% of his or her class will be automatically accepted to the

university of texas. and what the university sfound in that time period and 2003 when the earlier appeals court decision was overruled they weren't actually getting that critical mass on campus. so they put back in race-conscious measures in i think 2005, and in doing so they saw a couple of percentage uppick of black and latino students on campus. >> jennifer: i think it was a pretty engenius move to take the top 10% because you will get more diversity that way. 73 of the 90 friend of the court briefs that were filed in support of affirmative action were entities that would benefit from having a diverse, say, employee pool.

tell us who some of those are. >> scholars, statisticians, scientists, military government officials, corporate officials, saying this affirmative action programs in general are good for us to train future corporate, military, or political or just general citizens in this country. it allows people to understand what it is like to work with people of different backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, which sometimes comes through in different skin color, because what race you have ends up helping really how you see the world and how you interact with other people. and to be able to interact with people who see things differently is a huge plus. >> jennifer: in fact the military is one of the entities that filed a brief in support too, right? >> yeah, in 2003 it was a

military base that [ inaudible ] commencing [ inaudible ] to the side of the liberals to uphold the university of michigan lawsuit affirmative action program. >> jennifer: i think every business owner understands when you have diverse people in the room, you will have more creative output. i'm just saying it is important. appreciate your willingness to bring us your perspective. mike sacks of the "huffington post." coming up the brett ehrlich takes the pulse of the peanut gallery, and offers some advise. >> coming up i don't know anything about debate prep, but that won't stop me from pretending i do. don't go away. almond joy and mounds. unwrap paradise. i can't stand these spots. those spots are actually leftover food and detergent residue that can redeposit on your

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